Fourth Sunday of Advent December 20, Mission Statement

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1 Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church 300 Fulton Street Redwood City, CA Tel. (650) Fax: (650) Parish Center Hours Monday - Thursday 9:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m. Parish Staff Pastor: Rev. Ulysses D Aquila Deacon: Rev. Mr. Thomas J. Boyle Principal: Teresa Anthony Development: Nori Jabba Kid s Place: Maureen Arnott CCD: Magdalena Hernández Youth Ministry: Kendra & Jason Rickwald Youth Confirmation: Paula Martinez Director of Music: Bianca Remlinger Spanish Music Ministry: Andres Garcia Administrative Assistant: Alba Canelo Fourth Sunday of Advent December 20, 2015 O LORD of hosts, look down from heaven and see; take care of this vine, and protect what your right hand has planted. Psalm 80: Mass Schedule Sunday: 8:00 am, 10:00 am, 12:00 pm (español), and 5pm Saturday: 8: 15 am and 5:00 pm Vigil Mass Monday to Friday 8:15 am Reconciliation/Confession Saturday 3:30 4:30 p.m. Baptisms / Bautismos Call parish at least two months in advance. Llame a la parroquia a lo menos dos meses antes. Weddings / Bodas Call parish at least six months in advance Llame a la parroquia a lo menos seis meses antes. Mission Statement Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish is a Christ-centered community in the Roman Catholic tradition. We try to share the Good News of salvation with others. As a diverse community, we value and respect individual differences. As God s people, we gather in the Spirit to pray, to celebrate the sacraments, to teach, to learn, to console, to rejoice, to minister and to renew our faith with one another.

2 Notes from the Pastor The story of Jesus nativity occurs in only two of the Gospels, that of Luke and that of Matthew. Luke s version is focused entirely on the Blessed Virgin and the story of how the Archangel Gabriel appears to Mary, telling her that she has been chosen to be the Mother of the Savior. Matthew s version centers instead on Joseph s reaction to this unexpected pregnancy. The subtext of this story, the story of the Annunciation, is easy to miss. Most women who wish to have a child would be nothing less than overjoyed at the great news. Not so with Mary. We have to consider the dangerous reality of her situation: a young, unmarried girl living in a village must now explain to her family that she s expecting a child. It s a serious predicament; after all, women of those times accused of illicit sexual relations could be stoned to death. At first, Joseph reacts predictably. He wants to protect Mary from public shame, but since he s not the father of the child he decides to quietly break off the engagement. That is, until an angel of God appears to him in a dream and tells him to have faith and to believe in Mary, and to know that this baby who will be born to them is destined to be the Redeemer of his people. So both Gospels Luke s and Matthew s -- tell a story of fidelity. First, of an abiding trust in God s plan, and then of the faithful covenant between two people, Joseph and Mary, whose first year of married life was beset by so many troubles. I have sometimes thought that as appealing and beautiful as our traditional nativity scene is, with Mary and Joseph gazing on the haloed infant lying in the manger, it must have been a picture far less cozy than that. Since Jesus was born in the natural way, we might wonder if there was anyone besides Joseph to help the Blessed Mother with her labor. Did they have sufficient blankets against the chill? Did they have anything to eat? The hovering angels, the shining star and the adoring Wise Men shouldn t obscure for us the tough reality of a baby born on a cold winter s night to a couple who could not find a place to lodge, with little money to their names, and their fate very insecure. What was God s intention, then, in sending His Son Jesus into the world in such precarious circumstances? What message does our Lord God wish to convey to us by this? Could it be that true power (that is spiritual power), and wisdom and holiness are to be discovered where we least expect them, and that if it s Christ we seek, and if we have trouble finding him, then we might look for Jesus, not so much in the glow and glitter of the shopping malls, but in some cramped apartment in the worst part of town, or among the elderly in a nursing home, in the loneliness of a jail cell, or with a family of refugees crossing a border in the middle of the night. And if we search for Jesus there, we might also find that he has long been seeking us, looking for a corner of our hearts where he can finally lay his head. Fr. Ulysses Notas del Párroco La historia del nacimiento de Jesús ocurre en sólo dos de los Evangelios, el de Lucas y Mateo. La versión de Lucas se centra por completo en la Santísima Virgen y la historia de cómo el Arcángel Gabriel apareció a María, diciéndole que ella ha sido elegida para ser la Madre del Salvador. La versión de Mateo se centra en cambio en la reacción de José de este embarazo inesperado. El subtexto de esta historia, la historia de la Anunciación, puede pasar desapercibida. Mujeres que desean tener hijos están muy alegres al descubrir que están encinta. No es así con María. Tenemos que considerar la peligrosa realidad de su situación: una muchacha joven y soltera viviendo en un pueblo con sus padres ya tiene que explicar a su familia que está esperando un hijo. Es una situación grave; después de todo, las mujeres de aquellos tiempos acusadas de relaciones sexuales ilícitas podrían ser apedreadas hasta la muerte. Al principio, José reacciona previsiblemente. Él quiere proteger a María de la vergüenza pública, pero como él no es el padre del niño, decide romper el compromiso que tiene con ella. Así está, hasta que le aparece un ángel a José en un sueño y le dice que debe tener fe y creer en María, sabiendo que este bebé que les nacerá está destinado a ser el Redentor de su pueblo. Así que ambos Evangelios de Lucas y de Mateo - cuentan una historia de fidelidad. En primer lugar, en la firme confianza en el plan de Dios, y luego en el pacto entre dos personas, José y María, cuyo primer año de vida conyugal fue acosado por tantas angustias. A veces he pensado qué tan atractivo y hermoso que es nuestra escena tradicional de la natividad -- con María y José contemplando el infante acostado en el pesebre la realidad probablemente fue menos acogedora. Puesto que Jesús nació en la manera natural, podríamos preguntarnos si había alguien además que José para ayudar a la Santísima Madre con su parto. Tenían mantas suficientes contra el frío? Tenían algo de comer? Los ángeles que rodeaban el pesebre, la estrella brillante, y la presencia de los Tres Reyes Magos no debe ocultar para nosotros la dura realidad de un bebé recién nacido en una noche de invierno, y una pareja que no podía encontrar lugar para alojarse, con poco dinero, y su futuro muy inseguro. Cuál fue la intención de Dios, entonces, de enviar a su Hijo Jesús al mundo en circunstancias tan precarias? Qué mensaje desea nuestro Señor Dios transmitir a nosotros con esto? Podría ser que el verdadero poder (es decir el poder espiritual), y la sabiduría y la santidad se encuentra donde menos lo esperamos. Mas, si es Cristo que buscamos, y si no podemos encontrarlo, tal vez podríamos buscar a Jesús, no tanto en el resplandor y el brillo de los centros comerciales, pero mas bien en un comedor para los pobres, o en un asilo de ancianos, o con un grupo de refugiados cruzando con miedo una frontera. Y si buscamos a Jesús, también nos podríamos encontrar que él también nos ha estado buscando, buscando un rincón en nuestros corazones donde finalmente puede reclinar su cabeza. Padre Ulises

3 CHRISTMAS EVE FAMILY MASS Children of the school and parish (grades K-5) are invited to participate in the Entrance Procession at the 4:00 pm Christmas Eve Family Mass. Children will dress in costumes (they will be provided) and carry ornaments or birthday cards in the entrance procession before the mass begins. You must be able to meet in the back of the church at 3:30 pm on December 24 th. If you are interested in participating, please Karen Samons at with your child s name and grade. Please response by Friday, December 18th so we will be able to have an accurate head count. Schedule of Christmas and New Year Thursday, December 24, 2015 Vigil of the Nativity of Jesus 4:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Family Mass 10:00 p.m. Evening Mass Friday, December 25, 2015 Christmas Day 10:00 a.m. Mass & 12:00 p.m. Misa en Español New Year s Day ~ Friday, January 1, 2016 Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God (a holy day of obligation) 10:00 am Morning Prayer followed by Solemn Mass and Holy Hour. A Blessed Christmas to you all! Fr. Ulysses and the Staff of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION Many of our most treasured traditions link the liturgy of the church with the hearth of the home. The food on the table at certain feasts and fasts helps to extend the mystery into everyday life. Tonight, for example, many families of Italian heritage, especially those with links to the south of Italy, will settle down to the Feast of the Seven Fishes, or La Vigilia. It is a command performance for the whole family, as the saying goes: Natale con I tuui, Pasqua conchi vuoi, or Christmas with your family, Easter with whomever you wish. Seven different fish, some say one for each day of Mary and Joseph s journey to Bethlehem, others say one for each sacrament, or one for each day of creation, are served. Eel and shrimp, lobster and crab, calamari, pasta with clam sauce, flounder and hake all abound, but most especially baccala, dried salted cod. Why? Many say that it is a way to pay homage to the beasts of the stable who witnessed the holy birth and relinquished their manger to make way for God. Tonight, if someone asks you to pass the shrimp, you ll be able to shed a little light on a menu that is a delicious treasure in our tradition! Rev. James Field, Copyright J. S. Paluch Co. OLMC WOMEN S CLUB The OLMC Women s Club would like to thank all of the wonderful women of our parish that have supported our gatherings throughout the year. Because of you, the OLMC Women's Club has been able to purchase Easter decorations, new chalices and will be helping with new decorations for Christmas. Please mark your calendars for our next dinner Feb. 3 rd at 6:30pm in the Small Hall. Have a joyous Christmas and New Year! HOMEBOUND MINISTRY If someone in your family is homebound, lives nearby and is unable to attend Mass, but would like to received the Eucharist, please contact Julie O Leary at (650) Communion ministers are needed to bring the Eucharist to homebound parishioners. Please call Julie O Leary if you would like to participate in this worthy ministry. ARCHBISHOP S ANNUAL APPEAL 2015 Thank all of you who have contributed to the Archbishop Annual Appeal. Our assessment for 2015 is $64,500. To date we have received $60,290. Our balance $4,210. Please consider how you can help us meet our goal.

4 Intenciones de Misas de la semana Saturday, December 19, 5:00 PM Robert Houghton Sunday, December 20: 8:00 AM Jaime Zanotti 10:00 AM Steve Brosnan 12:00 PM(Español) Tomasa Islas 5:00 PM Joe Perroni Monday, December 21, 8:15 AM Liberato Caina Tuesday, December 22, 8:15 AM Parishioners of Mt. Carmel Wednesday, December 23, 8:15 AM Rev. Mario Matteucci Thursday, December 24, 8:15 AM Rico Gozun 4:00 PM Parishioners of Mt. Carmel 10:00 PM Salvador Manuel Friday, December 25, 8:00 AM: David Keil 10:00 AM Huan Phan 12 Noon (Misa en Español) Saturday, December 26, 8:15 AM Kent Bret Fisse This week at Mt. Carmel Sunday, December 20: R.C.I.A. Session 9:00 am Chapel Children s Liturgy 10:00 am Chapel Monday, December 21: Carismáticos (Directiva) 7:00 p.m. Old Chapel Tuesday, December 22: Men s Sports 8:30 pm L. Hall Wednesday, December 23: Grupo de Oración (Carismáticos) 7:00 pm L. Hall Thursday, December 24: Christmas Eve! Friday, December 25 The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)

5 SAINTS AN SPECIAL OBSERVANCES Sunday: Fourth Sunday of Advent Monday: St. Peter Canisius; Winter begins Wednesday: St. John of Kanty Thursday: The Vigil of Christmas Friday: The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) Saturday: St. Stephen; First day of Kwanzaa Welcome Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish Registration Form The following confidential information will be entered in our parish data system. It is only for the purpose of knowing and serving you better. Name (s): Address: city zip Telephone: Others in your household: Number of adults over 18 years of age: Number of children under 18 years of age: